Northwestern College Choir Selected for Collegiate Choral Festival

St. Paul school one of five selected for prestigious event

ST.PAUL, MINN. (10/14/2009)(readMedia)-- The Northwestern College Choir, directed by Timothy Sawyer, has been selected to perform at the 2009 Minnesota Collegiate Choral Festival in November.

The choir will sing individually and also in a massed choir under the direction of Craig Jessop, head of the music department at Utah State University in Logan, Utah, and former director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. The combined choirs will premiere a commissioned choral work, composed specifically for this festival by Minnesota native Eric William Barnum entitled "look up". [sic] The new composition will be featured as the grand finale of the Festival Concert.

The 2009 Minnesota Collegiate Choral Festival is sponsored by the F. Melius Christiansen (FMC) Endowment Fund Committee and the American Choral Directors Association of Minnesota. All proceeds from the concert will be donated to the organization's FMC Endowment Fund which annually awards scholarships to Minnesota choral directors for professional development opportunities.

Other choirs participating in the festival include Minnesota State UniversityMankato Concert Choir, St. John's University Men's Chorus, University Singers from University of Minnesota Duluth and University of St. Thomas Chamber Singers.

The Collegiate Festival Concert will be presented at Benson Great Hall on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. on the Bethel University campus located at 3900 Bethel Drive in St. Paul, Minn. All seats are reserved and are on sale from the Benson Great Hall Box Office (651-638-6333 or http://www.bethel.edu/benson-great-hall) for $25 each. Concert patrons who wish to purchase a special $75 ticket will also receive a CD recording of the entire Festival Concert. The additional $50 fee will be donated to the FMC Endowment Fund.

About Northwestern College

Founded in 1902, Northwestern College is a private Christian liberal arts college in St. Paul, Minn., offering more than 50 bachelor's degree majors, two master's degrees and several associate degree and certificate programs. Over 3,000 students representing 38 states and 30 countries are enrolled in Northwestern's traditional undergraduate and graduate and continuing education programs in North and South America. Northwestern College exists to provide Christ-centered higher education equipping students to grow intellectually and spiritually, to serve effectively in their professions, and to give God-honoring leadership in the home, church, community, and world. Visit www.nwc.edu.